Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] Chapter 179: Book 3: Chapter 32: Marco?

Read chapter 179 of Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] by TTReynolds on NovelPedia.

Book 3: Chapter 32: Marco? Chapter 32: Marco? The beast’s carcass steamed at their feet, its blood leaking into the mud, and its scales still faintly glistening with the remnants of the watery aether layer it once commanded. “Did you see that? It just… took all of our hits. One shield for everything at once.” Lance said. Eric spat to the side and huffed loudly. “A clever trick. Would’ve ground us down if Alex hadn’t cracked it first.” “More like smashed it open,” Garret wheezed. He shook out his arm where the tail had rattled his shield. “Shit, I thought that thing was about to fold me in half like Bane.” Even Allie gave a small nod, brushing hair from her face and flashing him a smile. “Good work, Alex.” He only shook his head as the last haze of the [Demon Asura Style] burned off. “Don’t start clapping yet. That was one monster. And if that thing learned that trick, then more will too. We’re not here to stand around congratulating each other… we’re here to finish this biome before these fucking things can get any worse.” The verbal reminder sobered them all, and the cheers and smiles died quietly. The regrouped quickly, weapons were checked, blood wiped clean, stamina potion corks popped. Once everyone was ready, the group pulled back together, circling wide from the shore this time. Even without [Aether Sight], Alex could feel the pulse of things moving beneath the surface. The shadows in the water were too faint to see properly, but dark enough to notice. The team had decided that they weren’t going to tempt fate twice and kept away from the shoreline. The forest surrounding the lake thinned gradually, trees leaning back from the bank until they broke through to open stone. The roar of water filled the air, giving off a pounding rhythm that grew louder with every step. Spray coated their skin, a cool mist clinging to armor and clothing. Then, they got a clear view of it. An immense cliff wall reared up ahead. It was craggy and slick, as if it was the lake’s heart spilling from its peak. It was a waterfall so massive it nearly swallowed the sky above, torrents of water crashing down with a force that shook the ground beneath their boots. It dwarfed everything else in the biome, a curtain of silver foam, thunderous and unyielding. Alex’s lips pulled into a thin line as he stared upward. Whatever the objective was here, it was waiting past that, he would bet 5,000 experience points on it. “Alright,” he said, nearly having to shout to be heard over the roar of the fall now. “Eyes open. No slowing down. We find the shrine, we finish this, and we move on.” The team nodded, their gazes fixed on the churning cascade. If the chimera beasts in the water had been the biome’s teeth, then the lake was the mouth, the waterfall looked like a throat. And Alex couldn’t shake the feeling that they were about to walk straight into its stomach. “Maybe it’s at the bottom,” Peter suggested. He planted his spearblade in the dirt and leaned on it as he spoke. “The System likes to hide things under your nose, right? We dive deep, see what’s waiting under there.” “Terrible idea,” Allie shot back instantly. “You saw that croc-thing. And the ripples in the water? There’s more of them. Jumping in would be suicide.” Lance grunted, “What if it’s underground, then? A hidden tunnel maybe? These biomes don’t follow normal rules, right? Could be anywhere.” “Or nowhere. Maybe this biome doesn’t have one. The System doesn’t promise side objectives every time, right?” Eric said. Alex listened to them brainstorm their options. None of the theories he heard sat right to him. The System always had logic, even if it was twisted, fucked up logic. Even if it wanted them dead. There was a shape to its madness. It would never build something unbeatable, or create a dungeon where there wasn’t a path forward. Deadly? Absolutely. But always with rules and options. Obby, Alex murmured in his head. Where would it hide something like this? The stone hummed back, amused. “ S